SOSC 1140 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Reality Principle
12 Apr 2020
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Freud states that our physic apparatus consists of three components: the id, the ego and the super-ego. The id is the most primitive part of the psychic and consists of two main drives know as the death instinct (thanatos) and the life instinct (eros). Eros corresponds with our need for survival, connection, love, and creativity. Thanatos, in contrast, is centered on hate, anger and self-destructive behavior. According to freud, all people have a desire to satisfy their instincts. However, civilization regulates the extent we can satisfy them. Society maintains eros by exercising conformity to the reality principle. Our social norms require us to give up immediate pleasure in favor of long-term gratification. This is because immediate pleasure often hinders the production processes. Since we cannot immediately satisfy our needs, it often allows us to refrain from self-destructive behavior that can come with immediate satisfaction.
